Finishing - July-August 2022

CASE STUDY 43
example, with the exoskeletal Paexo product
range. A firm commitment towards creating
more quality of life helped this company,
founded in 1919, to become the global
technological leader in “wearable human
bionics”. With more than 8,000 employees
and a sales volume of over one billion Euros,
the company is represented in approximately
60 countries.
Newly organized manufacturing
of components with optimized
processes
For the production of its products the
company is utilizing different manufacturing
technologies. In this context mass finishing
processes play an important role: On the one
hand they must ensure that the products meet
all functional requirements, for example, to be
free of burs. On the other hand, the mass
finishing operations must produce an optically
pleasing surface finish. This also includes the
creation of a highly homogeneous surface
structure on the components, which are
primarily made from aluminum and stainless
steel.
Some products even require a high-gloss
polish. For many years, Ottobock has been
using equipment and consumables supplied
by Rösler.
When the company was looking for new
mass finishing solutions for producing its
components in an optimized and more
sustainable manner, it was only natural that it
turned to Rösler for help. For the initial
processing trials the Customer Experience
Center at Rösler represented the ideal
platform. The center is not only equipped with
the latest equipment for practically all finishing
technologies. But it can also resort to a
portfolio of more than 15,000 media and
compounds, all developed and produced inhouse.
Keramo-Finish operation
replaces a process utilizing
acidic compounds
Among other measures an acid-based
process for creating a high-gloss polish was
replaced by a tailormade Keramo-Finish
operation. This includes the utilization of a
porcelain polishing media in combination with
a special paste and a brightening compound.
The new, acid-free process allows the
complete recycling of the process water. This
has not only resulted in a significant decrease
of the water and compound consumption but
also in a sizable cost reduction.
The polishing operation takes place in a
new, high-performance rotary vibrator, model
R 780 EC. The special shape of the processing
bowl creates a gentle, homogeneous flow of
the media / work piece mix. This ensures that
small and delicate as well as large and bulky
work pieces are quickly polished and
separated in an efficient and gentle manner.
The same operational benefits are also
achieved with the second new rotary vibrator,
model R 420 EC. Together with specially
selected media and compounds Ottobock is
using this machine for a broad spectrum of
applications ranging from deburring and edge
radiusing to surface smoothing.
For the eco-friendly cleaning and recycling
of the process water the two mass finishing
machines are connected to a semi-automatic
Rösler centrifugal cleaning system, model Z
800.
Energy-efficient drying
operation
For drying, the finished work pieces
Ottobock chose the latest version of the RT
550 Euro- DH rotary dryer, also supplied by
Rösler. This patented direct-heat dryer is
equipped with an innovative heat-block
heating system directly mounted to the base
plate of the processing bowl. This ensures a
highly efficient heat transfer with a minimum
of heat loss. Thus, the dryer guarantees not
only a quick, reliable and spot-free drying
operation, but it also allows significant energy
savings, which, compared to conventional
drying systems, can amount up to 40 %.
Therefore, the rotary dryer Euro-DH plays a
key role in a more effective energy
management within the framework of the
recently introduced standard DIN EN ISO
50001. The new dryer also helps reducing the
CO2 emissions and, as a result, represents an
important contribution towards achieving the
required environmental and climate targets.
Finishing – July/August 2022